News

The Seattle office of Perkins+Will promoted Marie Henson,Gavin Smith and Dan Seng to associate principal, Ed Palushock and Devin Kleiner to senior associate, and Daria Supp, Chris Tyner,Megan Marshall and Ryan Ramsey to associate. Henson has 15 years of experience in health care and medical facilities. Smith has been a technical adviser on national and international projects for two decades and has a background in environmental design. Seng has 23 years of experience that includes design and documentation, construction administration and project management. Palushock navigates technical and physical design challenges. Kleiner has a background in sustainable design and leads the firm's local Green Team. Supp has practical knowledge and conceptual understanding of different kinds of projects. Tyner has provided technical coordination and management for a variety of project types. Marshall has an architectural background in science, technology and health care. Ramsey has been a leader in designing, planning and programming health care facilities. Perkins+Will is a global architecture and design firm.

Seattle-based Framework Cultural Placemaking hired Jeff Arango and Izzy Cannell to its staff. Arango was associate principal at Berk Consulting, and the planning director for Langley as well as Essex Junction, Vermont. He is working on improving the downtowns of Olympia, Lakewood, Sammamish, Bainbridge Island and Poulsbo. Cannell has experience in land use planning, public outreach, housing policy, capital planning and parking policy. Framework provides architecture, urban design and community engagement.

Coffman Engineers hired Jon Kapis as a senior fire protection engineering technician in Oakland, Calif., and David Gramlich as a fire protection engineer in Seattle. Kapis has 37 years of design, implementation and commissioning experience on fire alarm, smoke control and life safety systems. Gramlich has over seven years of international experience. In the U.S., he is working on mixed-use projects and historical buildings. Coffman provides civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and fire protection engineering, commissioning, corrosion control and land surveying.

Tacoma-based Helix Design Group hired Eun Backstrom as a project architect. She has 15 years of experience working on projects that include casino and restaurant renovations. The 24-person Helix provides architecture, interior design and graphic design.

Guadalupe Guerrero is the new permanent superintendent for Portland Public Schools. He comes to Portland from San Francisco, where he was deputy superintendent of instruction, innovation and social justice. Former Superintendent Carole Smith stepped down in July 2016 following a controversy about lead in water at some schools.

Mayor Tim Burgess said Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim will leave city government Oct. 13 to prepare for the expansion of her family. Burgess said Hyeok led several special projects and strategic initiatives. She co-chaired the Chinatown/ID Public Safety Task Force, coordinated the Education Summit, managed the city's response to the Aurora Bridge incident in September 2015, and worked on economic partnerships internationally.

Olivia Burley has joined Operation Homefront as its Washington state-based senior director, responsible for outreach, community collaboration, volunteer engagement, fundraising and service delivery in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. Operation Homefront programs include Holiday Meals for Military and Back-to-School Brigade. She worked in the Service to the Armed Forces Division of the American Red Cross.

The State Board of Education named Deb Merle interim executive director, replacing former Executive Director Ben Rarick, who submitted his resignation on Sept. 18. Merle will serve for 90 days while the board begins a search process for a new executive director. Merle is currently a senior policy advisor to the governor on K-12 education. She will return to that work after a permanent executive director is named.

The Gig Harbor office of Contrack Watts added Monte Trousdale as superintendent, Tim Chiles as safety manager, Melissa Eby as office administrator, Mina Basta as senior scheduler, and Ali Al-Selmie as proposals content and graphics manager. Trousdale has more than 25 years of construction experience. He is working on the P-993 Transit Protection System Forward Operating Location project at Ediz Hook in Port Angeles. Chiles is a certified Occupational Health and Safety Technician. Eby has expertise in accounting and operations. Basta has been with the firm since 2008, working primarily in the Middle East. Al-Selmie, also a transfer, has been with the firm for six years. Contrack Watts is a general contractor headquartered in McLean, Virginia.

Walsh Construction Co. hired Greg Gagnon as project manager; Erin Baldwin as receptionist; Joshua McMillan as assistant superintendent; and Mark Smith,Riley Coghlan,Ryan Whitacre and Brad Lucas as project engineers. Gagnon is at Walsh's Tacoma office, helping with the THA-RAD Conversion project. Baldwin and Smith are working out of the Seattle office. McMillan is working on the Arbora Court project in Seattle. Coghlan is working on a project at Bellevue College. Whitacre is working on the Compass Broadview project in Seattle. Lucas is working on the RDF Builders concrete crew on the Bellevue College project.

The Construction Industry Training Council of Washington hired Cordaro “Cord” Galvan for the new position of apprenticeship and craft training program assistant. Galvan will maintain apprenticeship files, attend job fairs, assist with quarterly registration and handle Oregon license requests. He previously was a supervisor for United Parcel Service, a unit coordinator for a hospital in Massachusetts and served in the U.S. Marines.

Tim Cox was named vice president of sales and marketing at Oregon Door in Winston, Oregon. Cox joined the company in early 2010 on a temporary assignment, then was appointed sales and marketing representative for Northern California/Reno and subsequently named director of sales and marketing in 2013. He previously worked in a variety of marketing, sales and management positions.

The SMART Heroes program is expected to graduate its inaugural class today at the Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC in DuPont. The class is made up of eight soon-to-be-veterans of the U.S. Army. The program was launched in August to provide free sheet metal industry training to military personnel who plan to enter civilian life within the year. Graduates can choose from more than 150 apprenticeship programs, and get advanced placement as a second-year sheet metal apprentice. SMART is the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers.